Nixon Peabody, Kodak score perfect for corporate equality

The campaign’s index is based on surveys the group asks companies to fill out to determine how well the companies accommodate and support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Factors going into the rankings include firms’ non-discrimination policies and diversity training and whether they extend health insurance, bereavement, and family leave benefits to workers with same-sex partners.

Companies get number grades based on their answers in a several categories with a 100 percent as the top score. A policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation is worth 15 points, for example, while not having such a policy drops a firm’s score by 15 points. Actions the campaign sees as putting an anti-LGBT blemish on a company’s reputation earn a 25-point deduction.

Other area firms ranked on the 2013 Corporate Equality Index were Excellus BlueCross BlueShield with a 90 percent score and Bausch & Lomb Inc. with a 75 percent rating.

Excellus lost points for not offering transgender-inclusive surgery.

Bausch & Lomb also lost points for not offering transgender insurance coverage. It got only partial credit for parity in benefits offered to heterosexual and same-sex couples and for outreach to the LGBT community outside of company precincts.